Holddown anchor for airplanes and other structures

ABSTRACT

A plurality of anchor units are employed attached to guide lines secured to an airplane or other structure. Each holddown unit includes a base imbedded in concrete and a holddown device having a lower shank insertable into and adapted to be locked to the base and having an inverted frustoconical upper end provided therein with a hook integral with the holddown device and around which holddown lines are adapted to extend.

United States Patent lnventor Henry A. Patnaude 831 Los Molinos Way,Sacramento, Calif. 95825 Appl. No. 786,624

Filed Dec. 24, 1968 Patented Jan. 19, 1971 HOLDDOWN ANCHOR FOR AIRPLANESAND OTHER STRUCTURES 4 Claims, 13 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 248/361, 24/129: 105/369 Int. Cl F16b 5/07 Field of Search248/361,

361A, 1 19; 24/129; 280/1791; 105/369A, 368T Primary Examiner-ChancellorE. Harris Attorney-Alexander B. Blair ABSTRACT: A plurality of anchorunits are employed attached to guide lines secured to an airplane orother structure.

Each holddown unit includes a base imbedded in concrete and a holddowndevice having a lower shank insertable into and adapted to be locked tothe base and having an inverted frustoconical upper end provided thereinwith a hook integral with the holddown device and around which holddownlines are adapted to extend.

Z6 H III II I 36 ,0 [2 "III 2 I r l 1 (I l /6 H i :32

HOLDDOWN ANCHOR FOR AIRPLANES AND OTHER STRUCTURES CROSS-REFERENCE TOPRIOR. PATENT Reference is, made to my prior US. Pat. No. 3,414,226issued Dec. 3, I968 which shows an anchor structure for holding coverson swimming pools, the device being flush with a concrete surface aroundthe swimming pool and having a separable hook fixed therein and aroundwhich ropes or cables are adapted to pass to secure a swimming poolcover in position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The device includes a base adapted to be set inconcrete flush therewith and having a central opening therethrough. Aholddown device is provided with a vertical lower shank insertable inthe opening in the base and having a noncircular portion adapted to beturned after the shank is inserted in the base to lock the holddowndevice against upward movement. A collar splined on the shank isprovided with locking lugs movable downwardly intorecesses in the baseto prevent turning movement of the shank. Thus the holddown device isfixed against both vertical and turning movement.

The upper end of the shank is provided with a hollow invertedfrustoconical body having an integral hook therein around which may bepassed loops of ropes or cables attached to an airplane or otherstructure to prevent damage to the latter by heavy wind. Displacement ofa cable loop is prevented by a top plate partially covering the open topof the frustoconical body, and this cover may be hinged to swingupwardly or which may be fixed in position adjacent and relative to thehook.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE. DRAWING FIG. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of aconcrete apron or runway showing one of the devices in position withanchoring cables connected thereto;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of one of the anchoring units;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the same;

FIG. 4 is a section on line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of FIG. 3, parts being shown inelevation; I 4

FIG. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of FIG; 2;

FIG. 7 is a transverse sectional view through the shank of the upperanchoring device;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a modified form of the device;

FIG. 9 is a section on line 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of another modification of the device;

FIG. 11 is a section on line 11-11 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a further modification; and

FIG. 13 is a section on line 13-13 of FIG. 12.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS. 1 to 7,inclusive, the numeral 10 designates the base of a holddown unit as awhole comprising a top circular plate 12 having cutouts l3 and providedwith a lower cylindrical portion 14 above which the base 10 is annularlycut away as at 16 for a purpose to be described. The base plate 12 isprovided with a central opening 18 (FIG. 4). Op-

s'uies of this opening are flattened as at 20 while the r of the openingis of circular form.

A holddown device indicated by the numeral 24 is provided with adepending shank 26 adapted to be inserted through the opening 18 anddownwardly through the cylindrical sleeve 14. The shank 26 is providedwith a flange 28 (FIG. 6) having opposite semicircular portions 30 andflat intervening sides 32. The flange 28 thus is of a shape to slidedownwardly through the opening 18 when the flat sides 32 of the flangeare aligned with the flat sides 20 of the opening 18. Thus the flange 28is adapted to be received in the circular cutaway I6 and upon rotationof the shank 26 through 90", the projecting flange portions 30 will bearranged beneath the sides of the opening 18 reduced by the flat sides20, thus preventing vertical movement of the shank 26.

Above the flange 28 the shank 26 is provided with a collar 34 shrunk onthe shank 26 as at 36. The collar 34 may be provided at opposite sidesthereof with depending lugs 38.

At its upper end, the shank 26 is provided with a hollow, invertedfrustoconical head 40 provided at its upper end with an annular flange42 forming in the head 40a shoulder 43. Within the head 40and castintegral therewith is a hook 44 around which may extend loops 46 (FIG.I) of guide lines or cables 47.

Cover means is provided for the hook 44. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 5, aplate 48 rests upon theshoulder 43 and is attached to the head 40 byscrews or other fastening elements 50. The plate 48 is provided with arectangular notch 52 (FIG. 2) in which is arranged a lug 54 integralwith a cover plate 56 hinged to the plate 48 as at 58. It will be notedin FIG. 5 that the hook 44 is provided with an upwardly extendingportion 59 flush with the top of the flange 42. When the cover 56 isclosed, its top surface is also flush with the top of the flange 42 andwith the top of the plate 48. Thus, there are no projections extendingabove the head 40. The cover 56, in closed position, rests directly uponthe hook 44. I

A modified type of the device-is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 wherein similarparts are indicated by the same reference characters. The plate 48 isused also in this form of the invention and has pivoted thereto as at 58a cover 60 which is cut back centrally thereof as at 62 (FIG. 8) to lieadjacent a hook 64, integral with the head 40 but arranged higher thanthe hook 44 previously described, the hook 64 having its upper surface66 flush with the top of the cover 60 when the latter is inclosedposition.

A further modified form of the invention is shown in FIGS. 10 and 11wherein the parts may be identical with the form of the invention shownin FIGS. 2 to 5, inclusive, except that the cover is in a form ofunitary plate 68 fixed by screws or the like 70 to the head 40, therebeing no hinge employed. One of the hooks 44 will be employed and thishook is shouldered as at 72 to lie in proximity to the adjacent edge 74of the plate 68. In this case the screws 70 will be removed and theplate 68 lifted from position for attaching the cable'loops 46 to thehook 44.

In FIGS. 12 and 13, another modification is shown wherein a cover 76 ishinged as at 77 to a plate 48, such as is shown in FIG. 5. In this case,the cover plate 76 is provided with a screw 78 for rigidly fixing thecover 76 to the hook 44. Thus the cover 76 in use will be fixed to thehook 44 and can be swung upwardly only by removing the screw 78.

The anchoring device 24 is used alone or in combination with the base10, dependent upon the material of the apron or runway in which thedevice is used. If the device is to be set in concrete, the base 10 willnot be used since the anchoring device 26 will be effectively held inposition in the concrete. The top of the device is also flush with thesurface, it being noted that all of the elements at the top of thedevice, such as the hook 44, flange 42 and the various cover devices andtheir top surfaces are in a common plane. Thus, vehicles can run overthe top of the device without injury to the device or to the vehicle.When thus used in concrete, the flange 28 will be firmly imbedded inconcrete, and the same is true of the flange 34. These flangeseffectively anchor the device against any movement. The use of lugs 38is preferred since they afford positive assurance against any turningmovement of the device on its axis. I

When the device is used with other paving materials, for ex ample,asphalt, the base 10 is preferably employed. The reason for thisobviously is because asphalt and other paving materials do not have thehardness and structural strength or movement relative to the base 10.The entire structure will be buried in the paving material with the topsurface of the anchoring device 24 again flush with the surface of thepaving. The paving material will flow beneath the flange 34 and beneaththe plate 12 of the base and through the cutouts 13, and some of thematerial beneath the base plate 12 will find its way into the recess 16and firmly anchor the holddown device 24 against rotary movement.

Attention is also invited to the fact that the anchoring device mayterminate on the bottom line of the frustoconical head 40, in which casethe device can be welded to steel railings or the deck of a ship. In allcases, of course, the hook 841 is formed integral with the head 40 andhas a top surface in the plane of the edge of the flange 42 andwhichever type of cover plate is employed, such cover plate extends intoclose proximity to the hook (FIG. 8) or overhangs and seats upon aportion of the hook (FIGS. 5, I0 and 12).

The form of the device which will be used in concrete in the mannerdescribed above is shown in FIG. 12. It will be apparent, of course,that the anchoring device per se of any form of the invention may be soused.

The covers 56, 60 and 76 are adapted to swing upwardly for theattachment of the cable loops 46 to the hook 44 or 64, whereupon thehinged cover may be closed. In the form of the invention shown in FIGS.12 and 13, the screws 78 will be inserted and tightened to fix the coverplate 76 to the hook 44.

In FIG. 10 the cover plate 68 must be bodily removed by removing thescrews 70. The plate and its screws are reconnected to the head 40 afterthe cable loops have been attached to the hook 44.

The relatively heavy formation of the structure, including the integralformation of the cable hook with the body 40,

makes the whole structure particularly rugged and adapted to tectairplanes from damage due to heavy winds.

From the foregoing it will now be seen that there is herein provided animproved holddown anchor for airplanes and other structures whichaccomplishes all of the objects of this invention and others, includingmany advantages of great practical utility and commercial importance.

As various embodiments may be made of this inventive concept, and asmany modifications may be made in the embodiments hereinbefore shown anddescribed, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to beinterpreted merely as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense. I

I claim:

1. A holddown unit comprising: an open-topped frustoconical head; a hookwholly within said head integral therewith and having an upper surfaceflush with the top of said head; a plate partially covering the top ofsaid head and flush with the top surface thereof, said plate being cutaway at one side for the passage of a cable element downwardly aroundsaid hook; said plate being pivoted at the side of said head oppositesaid hook to swing upwardly therefrom; said plate having its portionadjacent said hook in close proximity thereto; said hook being cut awayadjacent the end thereof, and said plate adjacent said hook overlyingsaid cutaway in contact with said hook.

2. A device according to claim I provided with a fastening elementsecuring said overlying portion of said plate to said hook.

3. A holddown unit comprising an open-topped frustoconical head; a hookwholly within said head integral therewith and having an upper surfaceflush with the top of said head; a

plate partiallyl covering the top of said head and flush with the topsurface t ereof; said plate being cut away at one side for the passageof a cable element downwardly around said hook; said plate beingremovably mounted at the side of said head opposite said hook; saidplate having its portion adjacent said hook in close proximity thereto;said hook being cut away adjacent the end thereof; and said plateadjacent said hook overlying said cutaway in contact with said hook.

4. A device according to claim 3 provided with a fastening elementsecuring said overlying portion of said plate to said hook.

1. A holddown unit comprising: an open-topped frustoconical head; a hookwholly within said head integral therewith and having an upper surfaceflush with the top of said head; a plate partially covering the top ofsaid head and flush with the top surface thereof, said plate being cutaway at one side for the passage of a cable element downwardly aroundsaid hook; said plate being pivoted at the side of said head oppositesaid hook to swing upwardly therefrom; said plate having its portionadjacent said hook in close proximity thereto; said hook being cut awayadjacent the end thereof, and said plate adjacent said hook overlyingsaid cutaway in contact with said hook.
 2. A device according to claim 1provided with a fastening element securing said overlying portion ofsaid plate to said hook.
 3. A holddown unit comprising an open-toppedfrustoconical head; a hook wholly within said head integral therewithand having an upper surface flush with the top of said head; a platepartially covering the top of said head and flush with the top surfacethereof; said plate being cut away at one side for the passage of acable element downwardly around said hook; said plate being removablymounted at the side of said head opposite said hook; said plate havingits portion adjacent said hook in close proximity thereto; said hookbeing cut away adjacent the end thereof; and said plate adjacent saidhook overlying said cutaway in contact with said hook.
 4. A deviceaccording to claim 3 provided with a fastening element securing saidoverlying portion of said plate to said hook.